E-FELTED MUSHROOM
WORKSHOP
Slow, Mindful Felting: connecting, feeling and wellbeing during the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preparation
To divide a length of roving or sliver,
hold your hands far apart and gently pull.
The fibers will separate without breaking.
If your hands are too close together
the fibers will break when you pull.
Felting
Electronics
Start with wiring up your LED sequin. These LEDs are designed to be sewn onto soft fabric. They come with two holes for sewing. One is the positive terminal and the other is the negative terminal.
Sew with uncoated wire (don’t use beading wire or magnet wire for this).
Cut a length of wire about
4 inches/10 - 12cm long.
Thread a short length of wire
(about ¾ inch or 2cm)
through one hole, bring the wires together and twist.
Wrap the wires tightly around each other. Make sure the wire is tight around the hole. Repeat with the other hole
At this point, you can check your connections by connecting the wires to your battery. The LED sequin has a + positive mark and a – negative mark next to the holes. Connect to the battery accordingly: positive to positive, negative to negative, using your alligator clips.
Now decide where you would like to put the LED
on your felted mushroom. Thread up your wire
through a sewing needle and sew the wire onto the mushroom.
Make sure they don’t touch each other because the wire is uncoated. Sew the negative and positive wires at opposite sides of the mushroom stem.
Sew the wire through to the base with each poking out at opposite sides.
Connect the wires to your battery. You can create a more secure connection by sewing your wires directly to a battery holder and attaching it onto the base of the mushroom.
Completion
Figure Z
-
E-felted mushroom powered by 3V solar-panel.
Place your e-felted mushroom in your workspace or home, or take it with you to a special spot in your garden at night to create a magical space for contemplation. Add sensors, switches, or an Arduino to the circuit and turn your e-felted mushroom into a sensor-triggered nightlight or a programmable porch light. Add a small 3V solar panel to recharge your battery to make this project even more eco-friendly